Principal Psychologist - Practice, Quality And Innovation

Employment Hero; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary packaging benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Career development and training

Job summary

Learning Links is seeking a Principal Psychologist to shape practice, quality and innovation across Psychology services. The role combines deep clinical expertise with authority over clinical standards and governance, without formal line management responsibilities.

Reporting to the Head of Allied Health Service Operations and Growth, the role includes travel to NSW centres, schools and community locations, and drives strategic clinical direction and capability development across the service.

Qualifications

• A recognised psychology qualification and current general registration as a psychologist with AHPRA, without conditions that would prevent performance of the role
• Substantial senior experience in Psychology practice involving children, adolescents, families, schools or comparable services
• Demonstrated leadership in clinical governance, quality assurance, professional standards and clinician capability development across a multidisciplinary or geographically dispersed service

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain Psychology Practice Framework and clinical standards
• Provide sole authoritative clinical sign-off for Psychology practice matters
• Lead innovation, service design and pathways while ensuring clinical credibility

Skills

Clinical authority

Senior experience

AHPRA registration

Leadership in governance

Education

Postgraduate qualification in psychology

Job description

AI Job Summary

• Recognised psychology qualification and current general registration as a psychologist with AHPRA, without conditions.
• Psychology Board of Australia–approved supervisor status, or eligibility and commitment to obtain approval.
• Substantial senior experience in Psychology practice with children, adolescents, families, schools or comparable.

Role Type

Permanent Full-time Manager

Description

At Learning Links, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive. We are committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and creating a genuine sense of belonging, supported by talented people who are passionate about making a difference.

We’re looking for a Principal Psychologist who combines deep clinical expertise with the credibility to shape practice, quality and innovation across our Psychology services. This role is suited to someone who leads through expertise rather than authority, who wants their judgement to set the standard the whole service works to, without the weight of formal line management.

Reporting to the Head of Allied Health Service Operations and Growth, this full time role is Learning Links’ functional authority for Psychology practice, quality, innovation and professional capability — shaping the clinical model, service design and standard ways of working, with clinical sign-off authority within delegated governance arrangements. The role includes regular travel to Learning Links centres, schools and community locations across NSW.

Why Join Learning Links?

Joining Learning Links means becoming part of a collaborative, values-driven organisation dedicated to helping children and young people thrive.

Learning Links has over 50 years’ experience delivering evidence-based therapy, education and support services that help children build the skills and confidence to learn, develop and thrive. We work closely with families, schools and professionals to create a community where difficulties learning are no longer a barrier to a fulfilling life.

At Learning Links, you’ll enjoy:

• Salary packaging benefits up to $18,549, helping you make the most of your take-home pay
• Flexible working arrangements available
• Career development and ongoing training opportunities
• A supportive and collaborative team culture
• Car parking, novated lease and digital device benefits
• The opportunity to contribute to meaningful outcomes for children, families and communities

What Success Looks Like in This Role

Success in this role will be measured through the credibility of Psychology practice across the organisation, the strength and currency of its clinical standards and quality systems, and Learning Links’ recognition as a source of trusted, specialist expertise. In this role, you will:

Psychology Practice Direction & Clinical Authority

• Maintain and publish a current Psychology Practice Framework defining the clinical model, professional standards and scope-of-practice boundaries.
• Resolve clinical, ethical and scope-of-practice escalations quickly and clearly, with the outcome and rationale documented.
• Act as the sole authoritative point of clinical sign-off for Psychology practice matters requiring functional clinical authority, so operational leaders always have a clear, single source of clinical direction.

Clinical Services & Innovation

• Maintain a documented pipeline of Psychology service, product and pathway innovations, each with a clear evidence base, safety requirements and intended outcomes.
• Lead priority innovations from concept through to implementation and evaluation.
• Ensure new Psychology service offerings are clinically credible and responsive to identified client and school needs before launch.

Quality & Clinical Governance

• Keep Psychology SOPs and protocols current and consistently applied across clinical workflows.
• Turn clinical audit findings and quality issues into clear, tracked corrective action.
• Maintain a clinical risk register for Psychology practice, reviewed at each quality governance cycle.

Complaints, Experience & Outcomes

• Resolve Psychology complaints within agreed timeframes, with outcomes clearly documented.
• Analyse complaint themes, customer experience data and clinical outcomes regularly, and turn findings into practice or service-design changes.
• Maintain a current, evidence-based view of Psychology client experience and clinical outcomes to inform service and quality decisions.

Professional Capability & Supervision

• Verify Psychology clinicians’ competencies, credentials and supervision arrangements on a regular cycle.
• Ensure no clinician commences independent or school-based practice without a documented clinical readiness sign-off.
• Address capability gaps through a clear, tracked development plan.

Clinical Input to Workforce Decisions

• Provide timely, objective clinical input to recruitment decisions for Psychology roles.
• Provide clear, documented clinical evidence and input into clinician performance and development decisions.
• Help ensure recruitment, development and performance decisions for Psychology clinicians draw on current, objective evidence of capability, quality and safe practice.

Thought Leadership & Responsible Innovation

• Build Learning Links’ recognition for credible, specialist Psychology expertise through an active programme of innovation and thought leadership.
• Assess new technology — including AI and automation — proposed for Psychology practice against clinical, ethical, privacy and safety standards before adoption.
• Represent Learning Links’ Psychology practice in external forums, publications or communities of practice.

About You

You are someone whose clinical judgement others seek out — a credible authority who leads through expertise, relationships and clarity rather than formal people-management power. You combine deep clinical knowledge with the systems thinking to turn it into practice standards, quality systems and service design that hold up at scale.

You will bring:

• A recognised psychology qualification and current general registration as a psychologist with AHPRA, without conditions that would prevent performance of the role
• Substantial senior experience in Psychology practice involving children, adolescents, families, schools or comparable services
• Demonstrated leadership in clinical governance, quality assurance, professional standards and clinician capability development across a multidisciplinary or geographically dispersed service
• Demonstrated success designing, improving and implementing clinical services, practice models, pathways, products or quality systems
• Advanced knowledge of professional ethics, child safety, privacy, record keeping and the regulatory and funding requirements relevant to Psychology services
• Demonstrated ability to use evidence, quality and outcome data to identify systemic issues, lead improvement and provide clear advice to senior and governance audiences
• Psychology Board of Australia–approved supervisor status, or eligibility and commitment to obtain approval within an agreed timeframe

You’ll stand out if you:

• Qualified and experienced in conducting Autism assessments, with the capability to provide training and professional development to upskill other psychologists
• Hold a postgraduate qualification or area of practice endorsement relevant to clinical, counselling, or educational and developmental psychology
• Have experience developing specialist practice pathways, professional-development programs, communities of practice or innovative clinical offerings
• Have worked in a not-for-profit, child and family, disability, education or multidisciplinary allied-health environment
• Share our commitment to child safety and to improving outcomes for children and families

What This Role Offers You

This role is ideal for someone wanting to:

• Shape the clinical direction of Psychology services without the weight of formal line management
• Build genuine influence as the trusted clinical authority senior leaders turn to on complex matters
• Drive innovation and best‑practice design across Learning Links’ Psychology services
• Represent Learning Links’ Psychology practice as a recognised, credible voice in the wider sector

You’ll gain valuable exposure to organisational and clinical leadership while contributing to the wellbeing of children and families in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Child Safety

Learning Links is a child-safe organisation committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Successful applicants will be required to complete:

• Working with Children Check
• NDIS Worker Screening Check
• Relevant pre-employment checks

Ready to Apply?

If you’re a senior psychologist who wants to shape practice and quality at an organisational level, and who wants to help more children get the support they need, we’d love to hear from you.